Lora Andrews likes her tea strong and with milk.

As owner of Westminster’s newest tea shop, Cup Tea Bar & Café, Andrews knows a thing or two about drinking tea. And she wants others to share in her love for the beverage.

“There are lots of fun flavors,” Andrews said. “And it’s easy to brew.”

Asked if she is trying to convert the town into a hub for tea lovers, she responded, “One cup at a time.”

Andrews opened Cup Tea Bar & Café Sept. 27.

It’s since created neighborhood buzz around Westminster for its laid back, chic atmosphere.

“We just wanted to bring tea to a more contemporary and casual kind of venue,” Andrews explained. “We do the traditional English-style tea at the tea room…This is more tea to go; it makes it a little more user friendly.”

Andrews is not new to the tea business. She has been the manager of Gypsy’s Tea Room, which is owned by her mother, for 12 years.  She said she opened her own store as a way to bring tea to people in a more casual way.

“I’ve wanted to show the organic side of tea,” she said. “Most Americans think of tea with cucumbers and pastries but they don’t think where tea comes from…They don’t think of the earthy part of it.”

To bring out the organic vibe in her teashop, which also sells food, Anderson has lined the walls with tea-related art like a tea plantation canvas and a picture of a woman in a hat picking tea.

But the shop also has a modern bent. With its open, well-lit space, it will be up-and-running with WiFi by next week. The plan is to also offer live music on Saturday afternoons. In addition to tea, the shop also sells the local brew Furnace Hills Coffee, which Andrews says has been a popular item.

As for the types of tea Andrews sells, it runs the gamut of the usual types such as green and black teas to the unfamiliar such as rooibos tea from South Africa.

“The word rooibos translates to red bush,” Andrews said. “It’s used in South Africa as a health tonic; it’s very good for you and it’s full bodied too. A lot of coffee drinkers like it.”

The new business is also fueling the local economy. Andrews has hired seven part-time employees, four of whom are McDaniel College students.

Andrews said her hope for her new restaurant is to provide a casual atmosphere for those locals who might be looking for a healthier alternative to coffee and fast food.

“We’re looking to get into our stride. Our hope is people to come in and give us a try,” she said. “We’re getting a lot of coffee customers. We’ve got coffee but once people try [the tea] they love [it]. I just think it’s not as familiar.”

CUP Tea Bar & Cafe, 7 E. Main St.,Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sat., 9 a.m.-2 p.m. 410-848-7622.